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Just watched the second episode. Felt like an episode from the golden days of the show! Very X-Files! I like that it had that feeling yet still worked in the dangling thread of Mulder and Scully's child. While that whole thing was never my favorite storyline, I'm glad that they still feel the impact of it. It gives their characters a deeper weight and sadness. Their life that could've been...

But a very good episode, just the show back to it's former glory, something that hasn't been for some time. Glad it's back.

A bit underwhelmed by this one. The best parts for me were the what-if flashbacks of Scully and Mulder with their son William. Those were terrific. The other plot about mutated kids felt too much like previous episodes; in fact, I can think of about a dozen episodes and characters (Eve, the Gibson kid) that last night's reminded me of, and that was part of the problem. It seemed like an episode of "Generic X-Files." I suppose that's a good thing if you want more of the same, but I was kind of hoping, like that first episode, it'd be a nice mix of old and new. The only new elements I could see were the dream-like flashbacks, and it's no surprise that those were my favorite parts of the episode.

At any rate, the next episode appears to be a standalone monster show, and those were always my favorite; since the monsters were always so unique and interesting. I also appreciated the Carl Kolchak-looking character (from the 1974 "Night Stalker" TV series); since Kolchak was the unofficial inspiration for the original X-Files, I'm curious how he (or his doppelgänger) fits into the story.

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A bit underwhelmed by this one. The best parts for me were the what-if flashbacks of Scully and Mulder with their son William. Those were terrific. The other plot about mutated kids felt too much like previous episodes; in fact, I can think of about a dozen episodes and characters (Eve, the Gibson kid) that last night's reminded me of, and that was part of the problem. It seemed like an episode of "Generic X-Files." I suppose that's a good thing if you want more of the same, but I was kind of hoping, like that first episode, it'd be a nice mix of old and new. The only new elements I could see were the dream-like flashbacks, and it's no surprise that those were my favorite parts of the episode.

At any rate, the next episode appears to be a standalone monster show, and those were always my favorite; since the monsters were always so unique and interesting. I also appreciated the Carl Kolchak-looking character (from the 1974 "Night Stalker" TV series); since Kolchak was the unofficial inspiration for the original X-Files, I'm curious how he (or his doppelgänger) fits into the story.

I felt this episode just had that old spark I missed. They were missing that spark in the final season and the last movie, hell even in some of Season 7! This episode worked for me because it just felt like "Okay...the X-Files are BACK." Sure it was a tad generic, but it also just signal a return to form, that was just missing for so long.

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I felt this episode just had that old spark I missed. They were missing that spark in the final season and the last movie, hell even in some of Season 7! This episode worked for me because it just felt like "Okay...the X-Files are BACK." Sure it was a tad generic, but it also just signal a return to form, that was just missing for so long.

^ Very much this!

It felt just like the "glory of the old show". I was waiting for just that! Now they can do something new, if they like ...

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I felt this episode just had that old spark I missed. They were missing that spark in the final season and the last movie, hell even in some of Season 7! This episode worked for me because it just felt like "Okay...the X-Files are BACK." Sure it was a tad generic, but it also just signal a return to form, that was just missing for so long.

^ Very much this!

It felt just like the "glory of the old show". I was waiting for just that! Now they can do something new, if they like ...

Yea we got a mix of the old and new in the first episode, a lot of the old feeling in the second, now we can do whatever. I got what I wanted out of this...a redemption of sorts for that last movie!

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I felt this episode just had that old spark I missed. They were missing that spark in the final season and the last movie, hell even in some of Season 7! This episode worked for me because it just felt like "Okay...the X-Files are BACK." Sure it was a tad generic, but it also just signal a return to form, that was just missing for so long.

^ Very much this!

It felt just like the "glory of the old show". I was waiting for just that! Now they can do something new, if they like ...

Yea we got a mix of the old and new in the first episode, a lot of the old feeling in the second, now we can do whatever. I got what I wanted out of this...a redemption of sorts for that last movie!

I want the X-Files back, but not if they're just going to be the old band playing just their old hits. I want some new music in there as well. This one, with a bit of editing and CGI, could've been just a so-so episode of the series.

Now I can appreciate how a dedicated X-phile would want that, but for me it's the same as a new Trek movie that is just a frame-per-frame redux of TWOK. It just doesn't offer us anything we haven't already seen. I guess I'm not as big an X-phile as others here, but I think I enjoyed the 1st episode more because of the mix of old and new. This one felt way too business-as-usual.

To each their own, I suppose.

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I felt this episode just had that old spark I missed. They were missing that spark in the final season and the last movie, hell even in some of Season 7! This episode worked for me because it just felt like "Okay...the X-Files are BACK." Sure it was a tad generic, but it also just signal a return to form, that was just missing for so long.

^ Very much this!

It felt just like the "glory of the old show". I was waiting for just that! Now they can do something new, if they like ...

Yea we got a mix of the old and new in the first episode, a lot of the old feeling in the second, now we can do whatever. I got what I wanted out of this...a redemption of sorts for that last movie!

I want the X-Files back, but not if they're just going to be the old band playing just their old hits. I want some new music in there as well. This one, with a bit of editing and CGI, could've been just a so-so episode of the series.

Now I can appreciate how a dedicated X-phile would want that, but for me it's the same as a new Trek movie that is just a frame-per-frame redux of TWOK. It just doesn't offer us anything we haven't already seen. I guess I'm not as big an X-phile as others here, but I think I enjoyed the 1st episode more because of the mix of old and new. This one felt way too business-as-usual.

To each their own, I suppose.

What I loved most about the episode was the familiar setting: Mulder and Scully back in their old office (now with a flatscreen instead of dias ), in their typical clothes, looking after typical X-File cases. New X-Files without that, IMO, would be pointless; it would be like a Star Trek series where space doesn't play a role.

That said, as long as this "frame" is established, I'm fine with new elements. As with most everything, it's all about the right balance between old and new, and I feel a "normal" X-File was necessary for that mix.

FYI, they announced episodes 2-5 will be standalones; only episodes 1 and 6 are mythology-centered. Let's see what they make of it.

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I felt this episode just had that old spark I missed. They were missing that spark in the final season and the last movie, hell even in some of Season 7! This episode worked for me because it just felt like "Okay...the X-Files are BACK." Sure it was a tad generic, but it also just signal a return to form, that was just missing for so long.

^ Very much this!

It felt just like the "glory of the old show". I was waiting for just that! Now they can do something new, if they like ...

Yea we got a mix of the old and new in the first episode, a lot of the old feeling in the second, now we can do whatever. I got what I wanted out of this...a redemption of sorts for that last movie!

I want the X-Files back, but not if they're just going to be the old band playing just their old hits. I want some new music in there as well. This one, with a bit of editing and CGI, could've been just a so-so episode of the series.

Now I can appreciate how a dedicated X-phile would want that, but for me it's the same as a new Trek movie that is just a frame-per-frame redux of TWOK. It just doesn't offer us anything we haven't already seen. I guess I'm not as big an X-phile as others here, but I think I enjoyed the 1st episode more because of the mix of old and new. This one felt way too business-as-usual.

To each their own, I suppose.

What I loved most about the episode was the familiar setting: Mulder and Scully back in their old office (now with a flatscreen instead of dias ), in their typical clothes, looking after typical X-File cases. New X-Files without that, IMO, would be pointless; it would be like a Star Trek series where space doesn't play a role.

That said, as long as this "frame" is established, I'm fine with new elements. As with most everything, it's all about the right balance between old and new, and I feel a "normal" X-File was necessary for that mix.

FYI, they announced episodes 2-5 will be standalones; only episodes 1 and 6 are mythology-centered. Let's see what they make of it.

I was just hoping the new show would be something more than warmed up leftovers.

Again, this reminds me of every other ST movie mimicking TWOK. Another 'mutant babies' episode ( * yawn...* ). Here's hoping there's something new up their sleeves for the others...

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What worked for me were the personal touches with the fantasy sections involving their kid. It's the same dramatic element that worked for the second movie. There's a personal pain there in both. Both are working through the pain on their own. That to me is a more compelling story than the other stuff. I loved the end scene with the camera panning back from Mulder sitting at his kitchen table thinking about his son.

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What worked for me were the personal touches with the fantasy sections involving their kid. It's the same dramatic element that worked for the second movie. There's a personal pain there in both. Both are working through the pain on their own. That to me is a more compelling story than the other stuff. I loved the end scene with the camera panning back from Mulder sitting at his kitchen table thinking about his son.

Those were my favorite scenes as well; they reminded me of Picard's nexus family in GEN. I loved those scenes. Mulder and William doing the Kennedy speech almost brought a tear to my eyes.

But the mutant-kids thing seemed like a tired '90s-era XF throwback. I get how it ties in, but it just felt like a story they've already done to death in the original series.

I have to say, there is some truth to this essay; I'm not saying I dislike the new show, but I do agree that it's not bold enough. It had the potential to be a REAL boundary pusher, but instead it seems to want to wallow in past glories a bit more than I hoped it would...

I have to say, there is some truth to this essay; I'm not saying I dislike the new show, but I do agree that it's not bold enough. It had the potential to be a REAL boundary pusher, but instead it seems to want to wallow in past glories a bit more than I hoped it would...

I see where he is coming from. X-Files used to be cutting edge with its social commentary, science, etc. And I think the new season is too, but it's harder to be cutting edge these days. The edge is a lot harder to define than it was in the 90s.

The guy who wrote that piece wants the edge to be Snowden and Google and warrantless wiretapping. But maybe that is not the edge Carter wants to focus on. Is that a failure of the show, or a disagreement on approach?

I may well disagree with Carter's approach too, but Ive only see one episode and will wait until I have seen all six to give my verdict. Am I a little skeptical of Mulder's new theory? Yes for sure.

But I am going to allow myself to go along for the ride. I feel like I am in the hands of a good storyteller, and I am going to tell him tell the story that he wants to tell. One of the things I value in a storyteller is someone who has a clear perspective and is not afraid to put it out there. Carter is doing that. Carter is a Baby Boomer and a product of the Watergate/Vietnam era. In a lot of ways the X-Files of the 90s was not about anything more that stuff that went down in the late 60s and early 70s. Now we are seeing how a man of that generation, with that long perspective, responds to what is happening in the 2010s. If nothing else, it will be an interesting story.

It is possible that Carter's moment faded with the 90s. But this revival could turn out to be a great story. But for that, Carter would have to achieve what he did in the 90s: metaphor and analogy. The Syndicate was a perfect metaphor for the Cold War world--faustian bargains; old, white men who think they are doing the best interest of the planet, and who try to exert their power over all of humanity while trying to ensure their own survival... Can Carter update this metaphor to speak to our times? "My Struggle" didn't achieve this, but I will cut it some slack because this one episode had to achieve multiple magic tricks at once--not least of which is rejuvenating the franchise and bringing in new viewers, which it has done, despite the critics' hand wringing. I am curious to see if the remaining episodes can do this job. I hope it can.

I have to say, there is some truth to this essay; I'm not saying I dislike the new show, but I do agree that it's not bold enough. It had the potential to be a REAL boundary pusher, but instead it seems to want to wallow in past glories a bit more than I hoped it would...

I see where he is coming from. X-Files used to be cutting edge with its social commentary, science, etc. And I think the new season is too, but it's harder to be cutting edge these days. The edge is a lot harder to define than it was in the 90s.

The guy who wrote that piece wants the edge to be Snowden and Google and warrantless wiretapping. But maybe that is not the edge Carter wants to focus on. Is that a failure of the show, or a disagreement on approach?

I may well disagree with Carter's approach too, but Ive only see one episode and will wait until I have seen all six to give my verdict. Am I a little skeptical of Mulder's new theory? Yes for sure.

But I am going to allow myself to go along for the ride. I feel like I am in the hands of a good storyteller, and I am going to tell him tell the story that he wants to tell. One of the things I value in a storyteller is someone who has a clear perspective and is not afraid to put it out there. Carter is doing that. Carter is a Baby Boomer and a product of the Watergate/Vietnam era. In a lot of ways the X-Files of the 90s was not about anything more that stuff that went down in the late 60s and early 70s. Now we are seeing how a man of that generation, with that long perspective, responds to what is happening in the 2010s. If nothing else, it will be an interesting story.

It is possible that Carter's moment faded with the 90s. But this revival could turn out to be a great story. But for that, Carter would have to achieve what he did in the 90s: metaphor and analogy. The Syndicate was a perfect metaphor for the Cold War world--faustian bargains; old, white men who think they are doing the best interest of the planet, and who try to exert their power over all of humanity while trying to ensure their own survival... Can Carter update this metaphor to speak to our times? "My Struggle" didn't achieve this, but I will cut it some slack because this one episode had to achieve multiple magic tricks at once--not least of which is rejuvenating the franchise and bringing in new viewers, which it has done, despite the critics' hand wringing. I am curious to see if the remaining episodes can do this job. I hope it can.

As am I.

I'm not giving up on the show because of one less-than-satisfying episode ("Founder's Mutants" for me), so we'll see where it goes....

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Real quick - managed to watch both episodes at last and enjoyed them, but am more with Sehlat on this one. It's good, but seems to be more of a nostalgic hit than reestablishing The X Files as the leader in tense, paranoid dramas.

That said, as mentioned by Kenman, ep 2 was a the emotional turnaround and apologia for the second movie I wanted - happy and appreciative about that. The mutant kids did feel like a bit of an old, recycled plotline though.

Best scenes - all the "What if...? William" scenes for Sculder and Mully. (Anderson in particular was fantastic here.) And the scene with Skinner in his office. Hilariously deadpan. That alone was worth it.

Good, but not great. Watchable, but not yet the "event" it should be. I want it to be wildly unmissable. Nonetheless, it's good to have them back. Looking forward to the next four eps, in the hope that it gives us wild unmissability.

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Again, my expectations apparently aren't so high. For me to enjoy a show or movie, it doesn't have to be "leader" or the absolutely best the world has ever seen. Good and solid is perfectly fine with me. And yes, when I get to see new X-Files, I want it to be actually X-Files, not some totally new series that has no resemblence whatsoever to the original, short of the name.

And I wonder what people were expecting? The original series wasn't a ratings hit until season 3 or so, either. It it had *many* clunkers, or at least so-so episodes, too (I know, because I have just rewatched all 202 old episodes in the past 6 weeks ). So if you expect the new miniseries to be better than the original, I'd say there is something wrong with your expectations.

So far, I found the first two new episodes were a good mix of old and new elements. Fewer old elements, and it wouldn't be the X-Files anymore, and there would be no point in calling it that way. They should better make a whole new series in that case, with a new name, or a "Next Generation" of sorts.

That said, I agree the "mutant baby" story was a bit too old. We've had enough mutant/alien babies before, although I'd argue SW:TFA was much more a rip-off of ANH than this episode was a rip-off of earlier X-Files.

But even that episode had quite a few things that made it feel "new" to me, such as homosexuality in the background (IIRC, they never touched that in the 90s), and as was mentioned before, the brilliant what-if flashbacks. Even the "Founder" doctor appears in a new light, as it supposedly ties in with the government conspiracy uncovered in episode 1; we'll yet have to see how the pieces fit in the puzzle by the final episode.

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Real quick - managed to watch both episodes at last and enjoyed them, but am more with Sehlat on this one. It's good, but seems to be more of a nostalgic hit than reestablishing The X Files as the leader in tense, paranoid dramas.

That said, as mentioned by Kenman, ep 2 was a the emotional turnaround and apologia for the second movie I wanted - happy and appreciative about that. The mutant kids did feel like a bit of an old, recycled plotline though.

Best scenes - all the "What if...? William" scenes for Sculder and Mully. (Anderson in particular was fantastic here.) And the scene with Skinner in his office. Hilariously deadpan. That alone was worth it.

Good, but not great. Watchable, but not yet the "event" it should be. I want it to be wildly unmissable. Nonetheless, it's good to have them back. Looking forward to the next four eps, in the hope that it gives us wild unmissability.

^Where I'm at as well. Despite my mild disappointment with 10.2, it's still solid X-Files, just not quite the 'event television' I was hoping for. However I'm still looking forward to where it goes down the road. And yes, and my hopes for XF have rebounded nicely after my bad experience with the 2nd movie (which I utterly despised; I can't remember the last time I was so achingly bored at a movie...).

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I wonder how many answers episode 6 will actually give, how much it will be an ending, and how much it leaves open for a possible continuation ...

Not sure if that's confirmed, but I read somewhere Duchovny was interested in doing more seasons. And FOX neither confirmed nor denied this possibility -- they'll certainly wait for the ratings of the miniseries anyway.

A feeling that's nagging on me now, maybe just because I've rewatched the entire original series recently, is that 6 episodes can never be as fulfilling as a mythology built over an entire regular season, or even several seasons, even if they're good. But I'm open for surprises.

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I wonder how many answers episode 6 will actually give, how much it will be an ending, and how much it leaves open for a possible continuation ...

Not sure if that's confirmed, but I read somewhere Duchovny was interested in doing more seasons. And FOX neither confirmed nor denied this possibility -- they'll certainly wait for the ratings of the miniseries anyway.

A feeling that's nagging on me now, maybe just because I've rewatched the entire original series recently, is that 6 episodes can never be as fulfilling as a mythology built over an entire regular season, or even several seasons, even if they're good. But I'm open for surprises.

Carter has admitted that the 6th episode is a cliff hanger. Conventional wisdom is that X-Files will be back. The question is in what form: 6, 8, 12 or 18 episodes?

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I wonder how many answers episode 6 will actually give, how much it will be an ending, and how much it leaves open for a possible continuation ...

Not sure if that's confirmed, but I read somewhere Duchovny was interested in doing more seasons. And FOX neither confirmed nor denied this possibility -- they'll certainly wait for the ratings of the miniseries anyway.

A feeling that's nagging on me now, maybe just because I've rewatched the entire original series recently, is that 6 episodes can never be as fulfilling as a mythology built over an entire regular season, or even several seasons, even if they're good. But I'm open for surprises.

Carter has admitted that the 6th episode is a cliff hanger. Conventional wisdom is that X-Files will be back. The question is in what form: 6, 8, 12 or 18 episodes?

I actually like these short mini-seasons - it certainly works for Agent Carter. Concise, pithy storytelling (at least, you hope for that). 6 is myabe a little too short, 8 - 10 about right.

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I wonder how many answers episode 6 will actually give, how much it will be an ending, and how much it leaves open for a possible continuation ...

Not sure if that's confirmed, but I read somewhere Duchovny was interested in doing more seasons. And FOX neither confirmed nor denied this possibility -- they'll certainly wait for the ratings of the miniseries anyway.

A feeling that's nagging on me now, maybe just because I've rewatched the entire original series recently, is that 6 episodes can never be as fulfilling as a mythology built over an entire regular season, or even several seasons, even if they're good. But I'm open for surprises.

Carter has admitted that the 6th episode is a cliff hanger. Conventional wisdom is that X-Files will be back. The question is in what form: 6, 8, 12 or 18 episodes?

I actually like these short mini-seasons - it certainly works for Agent Carter. Concise, pithy storytelling (at least, you hope for that). 6 is myabe a little too short, 8 - 10 about right.

And with the tremendous variety of entertainment options that exist now? I think shorter is sweeter. Few people have the time to commit to 22-26 episodes a year anymore. And I also believe that such imposed brevity yields more efficient and dynamic storytelling as well.

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I wonder how many answers episode 6 will actually give, how much it will be an ending, and how much it leaves open for a possible continuation ...

Not sure if that's confirmed, but I read somewhere Duchovny was interested in doing more seasons. And FOX neither confirmed nor denied this possibility -- they'll certainly wait for the ratings of the miniseries anyway.

A feeling that's nagging on me now, maybe just because I've rewatched the entire original series recently, is that 6 episodes can never be as fulfilling as a mythology built over an entire regular season, or even several seasons, even if they're good. But I'm open for surprises.

Carter has admitted that the 6th episode is a cliff hanger. Conventional wisdom is that X-Files will be back. The question is in what form: 6, 8, 12 or 18 episodes?

I actually like these short mini-seasons - it certainly works for Agent Carter. Concise, pithy storytelling (at least, you hope for that). 6 is myabe a little too short, 8 - 10 about right.

And with the tremendous variety of entertainment options that exist now? I think shorter is sweeter. Few people have the time to commit to 22-26 episodes a year anymore. And I also believe that such imposed brevity yields more efficient and dynamic storytelling as well.

Yeah, the old long-season format with 20+ episodes is rather outdated. In the past, that resulted in quite a few so-so or clunky filler episodes.

I'd really appreciate a slightly longer season, based on the old mix of mythology multi-part and standalone episodes; but they can easily just cancel the fillers and focus their resources on better quality for fewer eps. 10-14 per season would be fine, IMO.

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I wonder how many answers episode 6 will actually give, how much it will be an ending, and how much it leaves open for a possible continuation ...

Not sure if that's confirmed, but I read somewhere Duchovny was interested in doing more seasons. And FOX neither confirmed nor denied this possibility -- they'll certainly wait for the ratings of the miniseries anyway.

A feeling that's nagging on me now, maybe just because I've rewatched the entire original series recently, is that 6 episodes can never be as fulfilling as a mythology built over an entire regular season, or even several seasons, even if they're good. But I'm open for surprises.

Carter has admitted that the 6th episode is a cliff hanger. Conventional wisdom is that X-Files will be back. The question is in what form: 6, 8, 12 or 18 episodes?

I actually like these short mini-seasons - it certainly works for Agent Carter. Concise, pithy storytelling (at least, you hope for that). 6 is myabe a little too short, 8 - 10 about right.

And with the tremendous variety of entertainment options that exist now? I think shorter is sweeter. Few people have the time to commit to 22-26 episodes a year anymore. And I also believe that such imposed brevity yields more efficient and dynamic storytelling as well.

Yeah, the old long-season format with 20+ episodes is rather outdated. In the past, that resulted in quite a few so-so or clunky filler episodes.

I'd really appreciate a slightly longer season, based on the old mix of mythology multi-part and standalone episodes; but they can easily just cancel the fillers and focus their resources on better quality for fewer eps. 10-14 per season would be fine, IMO.

Agreed shorter is better. Every X-Files season had its filler.

But six is too few for what Carter is trying to achieve now. My Struggle probably needed to be a two-parter. SOOOO much happened in this episode. And it happened so fast. For Smoking Man's line at the end to really hit home, the build up needed to be more ... of a build up. After one viewing less than a week ago, I can't really remember exactly why the X-Files was reopened, or what evidence caused Mulder's new revelation. To be clear, I am not disagreeing with the new direction. I just think it needed more establishment.

BUT, they could not and should not have had the first two episodes be straight mythology shows. They needed to get viewers, especially new ones, comfortable with the formula again. So Carter had to condense so much into one premier episode. He had to update the mythology to something modern audiences recognize, and he had to get Mulder an Scully back in uniform so to speak (not to mention broken up).

I still stand by my first impression that the episode pulled off all it needed to accomplish and did it well, considering the constraints.

But if Carter had 12 episodes to work with instead of 6, he could have pushed some of the big reveals in My Struggle to mythology stories in episodes 4 or 5. This would make the new direction stronger as a narrative.

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I wonder how many answers episode 6 will actually give, how much it will be an ending, and how much it leaves open for a possible continuation ...

Not sure if that's confirmed, but I read somewhere Duchovny was interested in doing more seasons. And FOX neither confirmed nor denied this possibility -- they'll certainly wait for the ratings of the miniseries anyway.

A feeling that's nagging on me now, maybe just because I've rewatched the entire original series recently, is that 6 episodes can never be as fulfilling as a mythology built over an entire regular season, or even several seasons, even if they're good. But I'm open for surprises.

Carter has admitted that the 6th episode is a cliff hanger. Conventional wisdom is that X-Files will be back. The question is in what form: 6, 8, 12 or 18 episodes?

I actually like these short mini-seasons - it certainly works for Agent Carter. Concise, pithy storytelling (at least, you hope for that). 6 is myabe a little too short, 8 - 10 about right.

And with the tremendous variety of entertainment options that exist now? I think shorter is sweeter. Few people have the time to commit to 22-26 episodes a year anymore. And I also believe that such imposed brevity yields more efficient and dynamic storytelling as well.

Yeah, the old long-season format with 20+ episodes is rather outdated. In the past, that resulted in quite a few so-so or clunky filler episodes.

I'd really appreciate a slightly longer season, based on the old mix of mythology multi-part and standalone episodes; but they can easily just cancel the fillers and focus their resources on better quality for fewer eps. 10-14 per season would be fine, IMO.

Agreed shorter is better. Every X-Files season had its filler.

But six is too few for what Carter is trying to achieve now. My Struggle probably needed to be a two-parter. SOOOO much happened in this episode. And it happened so fast. For Smoking Man's line at the end to really hit home, the build up needed to be more ... of a build up. After one viewing less than a week ago, I can't really remember exactly why the X-Files was reopened, or what evidence caused Mulder's new revelation. To be clear, I am not disagreeing with the new direction. I just think it needed more establishment.

BUT, they could not and should not have had the first two episodes be straight mythology shows. They needed to get viewers, especially new ones, comfortable with the formula again. So Carter had to condense so much into one premier episode. He had to update the mythology to something modern audiences recognize, and he had to get Mulder an Scully back in uniform so to speak (not to mention broken up).

I still stand by my first impression that the episode pulled off all it needed to accomplish and did it well, considering the constraints.

But if Carter had 12 episodes to work with instead of 6, he could have pushed some of the big reveals in My Struggle to mythology stories in episodes 4 or 5. This would make the new direction stronger as a narrative.

Wholeheartedly agree with you. Which is why I hope we get another season.

Six episodes is nice and fine for a new start, but it feels -- now already -- that it can't be much more than just that.

And agreed on the pace in "My Struggle". The pacing was so fast, it almost felt like it was a two-parter condensed into a single episode. It was good IMO, but I guess a few more "silent moments" here and there wouldn't have hurt.

Well, let's see how the ratings turn out to be for the miniseries. If the rumors are true, another season is a given, if the ratings meet FOX's expectations ... fingers crossed.

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The Syndicate was a perfect metaphor for the Cold War world--faustian bargains; old, white men who think they are doing the best interest of the planet, and who try to exert their power over all of humanity while trying to ensure their own survival... Can Carter update this metaphor to speak to our times?